Ingredients (makes about 4 gallons):
- 8lbs - boston butt
- 2lbs - boneless country style pork ribs
- 2lbs of bacon (I used 2 packages of publix original bacon)
- 3 yellow onions
- 4 green bell peppers
- 3 packages of sliced mushrooms (I used 1 package of baby portabellas and 2 white)
- 1 pkg cascabel dried chilis
- 1 pkg ancho dried chilis
- 1 pkg arbol dried chilis
- 1 pkg whole cumin seeds
- 3 15 ounce cans of chili beans
- 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 6 bay leaves
- 6 15 ounce cans of tomato sauce
- 1 (big) can of crushed tomatoes
- 16 servings of yellow rice (I used two family packs of vigo yellow rice)
- 6 cloves of garlic
- parsley
- garlic powder
- salt
- pepper
- rub (I used Grill Mates Cowboy and Pork rubs)
- olive oil
Directions:
Chili powder:
One package each of arbol, cascabel, and ancho chilies. A farmer's market near my house has whole cumin seeds there, if you can't find them at your local super market. Prep the chilies by cutting the stem off and getting the seeds out. Then chop the chilies into little slices. Throw the chopped chilies and cumin into a frying pan and cook for a few minutes (until the cumin is aromatic). Put the warm chilies and cooked cumin into a blender (or spice grinder or food processor). Blend on low for several minutes. Put completed chili powder into air tight container.
Chili:
Start by prepping the green egg. I used real wood charcoal and chunks of hickory. Get the smoker going.. while the temperature is stabilizing prep the meat. Coat the boston butts liberally with rub on all sides. I used a pork rub on one and cowboy rub on the other. After the temperature is stable at around 220 degrees put the butts directly on the grill. At 220 degrees the meat takes about 8 hours to cook, after 4 hours wrap the meat in aluminum foil and put back on the grill.
With about 3 hours left on the meat in the smoker, prep the ingredients for the sauce. Slice two of the onions and chop up all four of the bell peppers. Throw into large pot. Liberally coat in olive oil. Add salt, pepper, parsley, garlic powder. Cook on med high. While onions and peppers are cooking, chop up the garlic. Once the onions are tender add the garlic. Cook til aromatic. Add tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes. Add chili powder until the sauce is tasty, should be pretty spicy at this point as it will become more mild with the rest of the ingredients. Ppreheat the oven to 220. Cut the ribs into bite sized chunks then add to the sauce. Put the pot in the oven. At this point there should be about 2 hours left for the butts on the smoker. While the butts are still smoking, prep the mushrooms. In a frying pan cook about 4 strips of bacon, once done, reserve the bacon on the side, the bacon will chopped and used as a topping later. Cook one package of mushrooms in the bacon fat, I usually cook the mushrooms until they just begin to lose their moisture. While they are cooking I also add fresh ground black pepper. Strain the mushrooms and add to the chili. Repeat this until all the mushrooms have been cooked. After the butts have been smoking in the aluminum foil for four hours (8 hours total), take them off the grill and put them in a large bowl. Use two forks to pull the pork apart. Throw the pulled pork into the chili sauce. Add chili beans. Add chili powder to taste. Put back in the oven, for at least an hour. About an hour before you will be serving, cook the rice (instructions are on the packages). While the rice is cooking, fry the all of the remaining bacon. Chop the cooked bacon and hold for use as a topping. Chop the remaining onion and hold for use as a topping. About 15 mins before serving, add the maple syrup to taste which wasn't much maybe half a cup for the 4-5 gallons of chili.
Serving:
Put a layer of yellow rice in a bowl, cover with chili, add toppings (bacon, onions, and cheese)